Monday, October 7, 2013

Coffee, Donuts and an Awesome Pillsbury Giveaway! (CLOSED)

So...I made donuts! For the first time ever. I made these just the other day, and I still haven't gotten over how good they were. Just ask my mom and sister and Hayden how good they were. We ate one, then two and found ourselves reaching for a third, but stopped ourselves. Will power be darned. I've always wanted to make donuts but I'm not a fan of deep frying. Baked donuts are the perfect option and they're somewhat healthier, but I didn't have a donut pan. That's when my mom stepped in and saved the day. She surprised me with an electric Sunbeam donut maker on clearance from Target for $15. Yay! Thanks Momma!

Holy drippy glaze.....drool!

In my last post about Caramel Apple Fritter Cake, I mentioned that Pillsbury® sent me a few of their new Fall cake and cookie mixes. I couldn't wait to use the pumpkin mix but wasn't sure what to make, then it hit me- Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Spice Glaze. I absolutely adore that combination of flavors, so much so that I shared a recipe for Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze in my cookbook. Have you ordered your copy of Lick The Bowl Good yet? If you've never tried it before, make this glaze and pour it on something...anything, it is that good! Brown butter makes the world go round. mmm!

Stinky boy couldn't keep his fingers out of that glaze!

My sister is learning to bake and cook so she helped me whip these up. They were so simple and she did a great job. She also served as my hand model and helped me dip some of these bad boys in glaze. Thanks Sammy :-) As a thank you, I sent her and my mom home with some donuts and a few of the cake and cookie mixes that Pillsbury® sent me. My hope is that my sister will create something equally fantastic all on her own. How would you like to win all of these new Pillsbury® mixes for yourself? Scroll down to see how.

NOTE: I used an electric donut maker to make these. If you have one, preheat iron til hot. If baking them in an oven, follow the manufacturers instructions for baking.

In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, pumpkin puree, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until fully incorporated. Spray your donut pan with non-stick spray. Spoon batter into mold or transfer the batter into a pastry bag and pipe the batter into the mold, being careful not to let the plastic piping bag touch the hot iron. Bake until cooked throughout.

Allow donuts to cool on a wire rack. Once all the donuts are baked and cooled, make the glaze.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan until the butter becomes golden and fragrant. The butter solids will get dark, continue swirling being careful not to let it burn, about 5 minutes.

Immediately pour the brown butter and all the brown bits into a small bowl. Add the cinnamon, and powdered sugar and whisk until it's smooth and lump free. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until well incorporated.

Work quickly because this glaze sets up fast. Dip one half of the donut into the glaze, place on a rack and allow to set.

To win this "Celebrate More" Fall Celebration Starter Kit(a.k.a. All of these fabulous mixes!) and a $100 Visa or American Express gift card courtesy of Pillsbury®, simply leave me a comment on this post telling me what you love most about Fall.

I love candles in the window sills, I love hot apple cider on a rainy day, I love the smell of pumpkin, I love that the leaves are turning colors, I love scarfs and boots, I love fresh fall days, and I LOVE all the delicious fall baking I get to do! :)

Have to be honest here- I love the return of comfort food. We still do a fair amount of grilling in the South in the fall, but I love the rich flavors and textures of fall and winter casseroles and holiday fare.

Fall always brings back great childhood memories. We would go upstate New York with my dad- target shooting and mushrooming. The cracking of fallen leaves underfoot, the first wood burning fires, even that "woodsy smell" - such vivid, and comforting memories. Then of course the wonderful aromas of homemade soups and stews, and of fresh homemade bread. Pumpkin has only been added to my pantry in recent years, but YUM!!

I think pumpkin is what I love best. Pumpkin bars, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes...YUM! I live in Iowa so the change in weather is always nice, too. Cool breezes, rustling leaves and rosy-cheeked kids! Thanks for all your recipes. I really love your blog, but rarely comment.

I love the colors, and the cooler weather so I can break out the sweaters and boots. I love pumpkin in pretty much everything, and apples and all the comfort food that the summer heat makes it impossible to make. OK I just LOVE fall!!

I, absolutely, LOVE everything Fall. The cooler weather, the changing leaves, putting on a sweater, playing outdoors, snuggling with the kids on a cool, Fall weekend, cooking up some comfort food and baking! We love to bake - any and everything! Thanks for the great blog and a chance to win!

why I love fall? one word.....PUMPKIN! Not a big fan of pumpkin pie so always looking for new recipes to use pumpkin and this looks like a good one. If I can find a donut maker for $15, the world would be good! Thanks for all the time you put into your blog and sharing these great recipes. Love the new look!

Walking through the woods on cool crisp day and seeing the colors changing. then heading home to a good cup of hot coffee and fresh baked just about anything. the smell in the woods topped only by the scent of a warm well used kitchen. Little slice of Heaven on earth

I love the cool dark days, leaves and sometimes the mist in the evenings..Love to bake and cook goodies, have to force myself to walk even in the rain,ice and snow..But love to make dressings, turkey breasts and other baked main meals, love your blog, miss the old header of your sweet Hayden and cake plates, but love your recipes all the time, from mary s. at momanddad00@clear.net...ciao have a spooky sweet Halloween, booo hooh!!!!!!

I LOVE cooler weather, the colored leaves, anything baked with apples or pumpkin. Of course when its cooler we bake more so the smells of the apple or pumpkin in the oven-1 dish meals that can throw into the oven. I love fall! & no wood ticks!

The best thing about Fall in Texas is that you finally get a break from the intense heat! The mornings are beautiful and the evenings are just starting to get a little bit of a chill. We don't truly experience Fall until around Thanksgiving, though.

Hello Monica! I just thought I'd let you know that I am making the caramel apple fritter cake for a church fellowship group on Wednesday! I know EVERYONE will absolutely love the flavors in this cake - they are so "fallish"! Love you! Olivia Luna

Your new web page design is gorgeous!! Well done. I think my favorite thing about fall is that it is the "kick off" of all of our favorite holidays Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas it is a time of lots of cooking adventures and family to help you eat it all!!

I love most that this is my first Autumn with my son, who's 7.5 months old. I love watching his reaction to the falling leaves and the changing colors :) But pumpkin everything! Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pies, pumpkin donuts! Love it

Fall is the time of year when the earth sits back and takes a deep breath. It is full of color, smells and family. I like to welcome fall with a home full of fresh baked aromas of pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and apples. I put up 100 lbs of pumpkin each year to welcome the holiday season. Now I have to go apple picking. Trish Butler

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Welcome To My Blog

My name is Monica and I'm a stay at home mom living in central Texas. I like to cook, but baking is my passion. I am an (obsessive) collector of cake stands, cookbooks and bakeware. I make lots of yummy treats and often share my sweet creations with friends, family and anyone else who is willing to be my guinea pig. I have lots of recipes in the archives so I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

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